On Thin Ice
by Zuppi
Summary: Written for the Livejournal fireandice2007 challenge. Winry is determined to go ice skating, despite Edward's valid objections.


**Author's notes: **Just a little fic written for the livejournal fireandice2007 challenge.

_Word prompt: _Ice skating

Mountains of thanks to my wonderful beta **please-knock**! Without her, my stuff would be impossible to read through the typos!

* * *

Winry frowned in confusion as she glanced out the window. The snow had finally stopped falling, blanketing Risembool in white, like a frosted cake. Through the drifts a lone figure trudged, hood pulled low over their head and a battered suitcase slung over their shoulder.

Depositing her coffee on the counter, Winry made her way to the front door, calling over her shoulder as she did so. "Granny, Ed's back."

"What? Already?" Came the muffled reply from downstairs.

Winry chose not to respond as she opened the door to let Ed enter. The cold air hit her like a slap in the face and she grimaced as he glanced up at her.

"Hey." Ed immediately dropped his suitcase and stamped his feet on the doormat, dislodging the snow that had built up on his heavy boots. His cheeks and nose were pink with cold and large snowflakes clung to his loose hair.

"I thought you were getting the nine o'clock train." Winry quickly closed the door behind him and moved closer to the fire.

"Snow's too thick in the valleys." Ed replied, shrugging off his heavy winter coat and dropping it over the back of the couch. "It could be another few days before it melts enough to let the trains pass."

Winry rolled her eyes, tut tutting at him. "I _told_ you the weather was bad out here."

"Yeah? Well, you won't come to Central to replace my automail so what choice did I have?" He joined her by the fire, and held both his hands out before him in an apparent effort to warm them.

Winry suspected it was just a natural reaction. Ed had lived with automail for over six years but some things were just instinctual… like the action of warming chilled hands by the fire, even if one of them was no longer flesh and bone.

She glared at him. "And then what would have happened? I would have been stuck in Central while you both went off on some quest! I have a life too, you know."

Ed sighed heavily and focused his attention on the crackling fire before them.

Winry snorted, turning away from the fire and dropping unceremoniously onto the couch. "How's your automail anyway? The weather in Central is usually more severe than in Risembool. If there's any problems, I may as well sort them out now."

Ed opened and closed his fist before glancing at her. "It's fine." He slumped into the chair opposite. "It feels heavier than the last set of frigid-weather automail you made though."

Winry narrowed her eyes in response. "That's because you utterly destroyed the last set. I decided to make it a little stronger this time, I had to compromise on weight."

Ed nodded, raising his left leg in order to feel the difference. "Yeah, that's probably a good idea."

Pinako interrupted whatever snide remark Winry had prepared to Ed's statement. She strolled into the living room, wiping grease off her hands. "I thought you'd be long gone, shrimp." She grinned lopsidedly at Ed as she deposited a filthy rag on the side table.

Ed narrowed his eyes at her. "The trains aren't running on account of the snow, you old hag."

Pinako laughed heartedly, fetching her pipe from the kitchen table and sticking it between her lips. "You better let Al know you're going to be late then." She shrugged, lighting her pipe and exiting the room.

"Yeah, yeah." Ed sighed, pushing himself off the couch and making his way to the telephone.

Winry yawned, stretching her arms over her head when there was a knock on the front door. She arched her back, cracking her spine, before getting to her feet and opening the door. Once more the chill air swept into the room. She quickly ushered two heavily insulated people into the house and slammed the door shut.

She turned to find Nellie and her elder brother Paul grinning at her.

"Hey guys, what are you doing out in this weather?" She grinned back.

"Guess what, Winry? James Smith said that the pond is frozen!" Nellie beamed at her. "We're going to go and take a look. He said the ice is really thick so we can go skating."

"Really?" Winry asked in disbelief. "Wow, I've never been before. I don't know if we even have ice skates."

"Well, we're borrowing two pairs from the Thomson's next door but you should be able to make a pair yourself, right? The old fashioned kind should be no bother to an automail mechanic."

"I don't know. I guess it can't be too hard." Winry mused for a moment. "Oh wow, real ice skating! It'll be great."

"We're going to head down now and see how things are. Will we see you down there?" Paul asked.

"Yeah, definitely." Winry grinned in response. "I'll see if I can get Ed to come." She gestured to the young alchemist engrossed in what appeared to be an argument on the telephone.

"Ed's here?" Nellie eyed him as if he were a strange exhibit in a museum.

"Yeah, the trains are cancelled until the snow melts." Winry explained.

"I wouldn't have thought he'd be interested in ice skating." Paul looked confused.

"Why wouldn't he be?" Winry furrowed her brow. "He's still the same Ed."

"Well, it's been six years since we've talked to him." Paul looked back to Winry. "I heard he was some big shot State Alchemist. I would have thought he'd be bored by normal things."

Winry rolled her eyes at them. "Hardly. He's just so busy most of the time. Don't worry, I'll drag him along."

Paul and Nellie exchanged unsure glances before turning to the door.

"Ok." Nellie glanced at Ed one last time. "We'll see you down there anyway."

"Great." Winry smiled at them before quickly closing the door.

She turned to the sound of Ed slamming the phone down. He was snarling and red in the face. "What's wrong with you? Did you get in a fight with Al?"

Ed stormed over to the couch and threw himself onto it. "That idiot, Mustang…" He mumbled. "Saying I'm slacking… saying I'm just…" He was flushed in anger.

"Saying what?" Winry sat across from him.

"Nothing!" Ed crossed his arms over his chest and pouted like a child.

Winry grinned at him, dropping her head to hide her smile. "How was Al?"

"Fine." Ed continued to sulk.

"Will he be ok without his big brother for a few days?"

Ed rolled his eyes at her. "He'll be fine, Winry. He's busy researching." He sighed. "I'm missing out on so much researching being stuck here. I only brought four books!"

Winry grinned at him. "Well, I just heard something that might cheer you up." Ed glanced at her quizzically and so she continued. "Nellie and Paul were just here. They said that the pond is frozen. We're going to go ice skating."

Ed snorted. "You can't go ice skating, it's not cold enough. There won't be enough ice."

Winry frowned at him. "James Smith said the pond was frozen."

"James Smith? The blacksmith's son?" Ed rolled his eyes. "He's an idiot."

Winry narrowed her eyes. "He saw it, Ed. He saw that it was frozen."

"Well, the ice won't be thick enough to skate on, _Winry_." Ed snapped.

"How do you know? It's the coldest winter in years. We've never had this much snow before."

"Yeah, but it only started snowing heavily last night. It's not even that much snow in the grand scheme of things. Just because it's cold for _Risembool_ doesn't mean that it's cold enough for you to go skating. It takes a long time for water to freeze in levels thick-"

"Oh, I'm Edward Elric, Fullmetal Alchemist. I know everything there is to know about ice." Winry mocked him.

"I know more than _you_,obviously." Ed snarled.

"Fine." Winry got to her feet. "Stay here on your own then. I'm going to go have fun, like a normal person."

"You're going to fall through the ice." Ed replied dismissively.

"What do you care?" Winry snapped back.

"I don't." Ed flushed.

"Fine." Winry turned on heal and headed in the direction of her workshop.

"The pond is the other way, idiot." Ed called after her.

Winry spun on heal and glared at him. "I know! I have to make skates first."

Ed rolled his eyes and shook his head but did not respond. Clenching her fists in frustration, Winry made her way to her workshop.

--------- ---------- ----------

Winry inspected her hastily made skates. They weren't perfect, but they would do. She could see how they preformed and make improvements where needed.

Making her way to the hall closet, she fetched her coat, hat, scarf and gloves, and hastily put them on. She picked up her skates and marched into the living room. Ed was still sitting on the couch; book in hand.

He glanced up at her as she walked by. "I'm telling you, you're going to fall in."

Winry ignored him, opening the front door and bracing herself against the cold before she stepped out into the snowy day.

The sun had finally come out and it reflected off the bright snow, dazzling her. Squinting, she glanced around for a second before setting off in the direction of the pond. The snow squeaked under foot, coming up to her mid calf. She was tired out by the time she reached her destination.

Nellie, Paul and James were already by the shore when she reached them. She smiled at them, despite her foul mood. "Well, is it ok to skate?"

Nellie looked behind her for a second. "Didn't Ed come with you?"

Winry frowned. "He had research to do."

The three others exchanged a knowing glance.

Winry tapped her foot on the ground and crossed her arms over her chest. "Well? Can we skate or not?"

James was the first to speak. He had a small tree branch in his hand and had apparently been testing the ice. "I'm not sure." He glanced at her before resuming his previous prodding. "It _seems_ thick enough."

"There's only one way to find out." Paul grinned at James.

"I'm not testing it!" James replied indignantly.

"Hey, it was your idea!" Nellie cried out.

"Yeah, well… I'm still not being the guinea pig." James leaned against the branch. "My house is further than all of yours. If I fall in, I'll have the longest walk to get changed."

"Oh don't be such a baby, James." Nellie teased.

"I'm not doing it!" He protested.

"Fine." Paul stepped closer to the shore. "I'll test it."

"Be careful, Paul." Nellie took a step back.

"Don't go out too far until you're sure it will hold you." Winry advised.

Paul grinned nervously at them before gingerly stepping onto the frozen pond. When nothing happened, he took another step. He leaned his weight back and forth between his feet; finally content the ice would hold him. Grinning, he turned to the others.

"Wahoo!" James called, leaning against a tree in order to balance while he put his skates on.

The others quickly followed suit. Winry was tying her second skate when she noticed movement behind her. She turned to find Ed strolling towards them, his coat pulled tight around him. She glared at him, though he was still too far away to see, and turned back to the pond.

James was just joining Paul on the ice when Ed finally reached them. His eyes darted from the boys on the ice to Winry. "It's not safe. The ice won't hold all of you."

"Then it's a good thing you're not coming out." She snapped at him. On unsteady feet she made her way to the pond, Ed just visible in the corner of her eye.

She raised her foot to put it on the ice when there was a large cracking sound. In fright, she toppled backwards, Nellie following suit. The boys on the ice looked at each other in panic before moving as quickly as possible to get off the ice.

Like lightning, Ed moved to the pond shore and grabbed both of them by the wrists, yanking them backwards just as the ice cracked and split below their feet. The three boys landed in a tangled heap by the waterside.

Paul and James exchanged petrified looks before descending into a fit of laughter.

Ed extracted himself from the knot of limbs and got to his feet, glaring at Winry. "I _told_ you the ice wasn't thick enough."

"Yeah, and I told _you_ the trains would get snowed in." Winry replied lamely.

Ed shook his head, eyeing her strangely. "What the hell does that have to do with anything?!"

Winry got to her feet and placed her hands on her hips. "Well, for one I wouldn't have to listen to you going on about how you know everything!"

"If I hadn't been here, the ice might have given way when you were in the middle of the pond! What would you have done then?" Ed took a step forward, snarling at her.

"Eh, guys… I think we're going to go home now." James piped up.

"I don't need you to look after me!" Winry replied incredulously.

"Yeah, we're going to leave, ok?" Nellie exchanged worried looks with the boys.

"You obviously need _someone_ to look after you or else you would have knownbetter than to go ice skating when there's not enough ice!" Ed looked like he wanted to shake her.

Winry glared at him for a second before pulling off her skates. Without a word, she turned around and began marching along the shore.

Ed watched her in confusion before he began to quickly follow after. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going ice skating." Winry replied, without looking back.

"Winry, the ice is too thin. You're going to fall in!" Ed jogged up to her.

"I'll find somewhere where it's thicker." She refused to look at him. **  
**

"It's going to be the same everywhere."

Winry ignored him as she turned to the shore. She was about to gently place her foot on the ice when Ed yanked her back by the wrist.

"What are you doing?" She cried, pulling her wrist from his grasp.

"Winry, the damn ice is too thin!" Ed made to grab at her again.

"I'm going skating, Ed." She retreated away from him.

Ed glared at her. "You're just being stubborn."

Winry ignored his comment and turned back to the pond.

"Are you going to keep at this until you skate today?" Ed asked a little more calmly.

Winry ignored him, determined to prove him wrong.

"You are, aren't you?" Ed questioned further. "It's not even about ice skating anymore."

Winry was just about to test the ice once more when Ed took a step forward. He clapped his hands together and rested them against the ice. Winry squinted, as a transmutation was preformed, icy blue light dancing before her eyes.

She took a step back in shock, finally looking at Ed. "What did you do?"

Ed made a funny face, as if attempting to hide a grin. "I made the stupid ice thicker."

Winry furrowed her brow at him. "Why?"

"Because it's easier than following you around until you eventually give up."

"You could have done that all along!" Winry glared at him.

"Alchemy shouldn't be used for trivial things." He shrugged

"Then why do it now?" Winry's expression softened a little.

Ed looked away from her, blushing slightly. "Like I said, I didn't want to follow you around for the next few hours until you gave up on the idea."

"You didn't have to stay." Winry frowned.

"Yes, I did. Granny would kill me if I let you drown in a semi-frozen pond."

Winry laughed. "I suppose." She smiled at him. "Thanks, Ed."

Ed blushed pink and looked at his feet. "Yeah, yeah… well, are you going to skate, or aren't you? It's freezing out here."

Winry grinned at him before putting on her skates. Gingerly, she put her feet on the pond and slowly inched her way onto the lake. She was by no means graceful, but for her first time ice-skating, she was simply happy she was still upright.

Looking over her shoulder, she found Ed grinning broadly at her. He looked away, blushing at little and calling sarcastically after her. "Wow, you've obviously done this before."

Winry grinned despite herself, slowly turning to face him. "I'd like to see you do better." She mock-glared at him, her hands on her hips.

"No way." Ed laughed. "I'm happy here on dry land."

"Sure, you are." Winry teased. "You know, I won't tell anyone if the Fullmetal Alchemist isn't an amazing skater."

"That's not going to work." He narrowed his eyes at her.

"Oh no, of course not." She sighed in an exaggerated fashion. "I guess it's for the best. With those short, little legs ice skating would probably be too much for you."

"Who are you calling short?" Ed cried indignantly. "I'm taller than you, aren't I?"

"Well, I'm short for a girl, Ed. It's hardly an accomplishment." She rolled her eyes, desperately fighting to keep a wicked grin from her lips.

Ed narrowed his eyes at her before something seemed to flash in his eyes. "Fine. I'll come skating then." He brought his left hand to his face and stroked his chin in an embellished gesture. "But what to use for skates… I'll have to transmute metal, but where will I find some metal-"

Recognition dawned on Winry and her eyes widened in shock. "Don't you dare!" She threatened, making her way in his direction, although her progress was painfully slow.

"Sorry, can't hear you, Winry." He dismissed her. "I know! I'll use my forearm plate. That's _really _easy for you to fix, right?" He grinned wickedly at her.

"Ed DON'T!"

Winry reached the bank just in time to see Ed push up his sleeve and expose his right forearm.

"You wanted me to come skating!" He grinned, clapping his hands before slapping his automail with his left hand.

Winry looked away as bright light flashed. When she looked back, Ed was holding two skates and grinning broadly.

"I can't believe you did that!" She gaped.

"Well, I'm going to be stuck here for a few days, you'll have loads of time to fix it." Ed smirked.

"Yeah? I'm going to charge you extra for breaking it right in front of me."

Ed smiled lopsidedly. "Like that's an issue."

Winry stared at him, struck completely dumb. He leaned against a tree as he put his skates on. Once ready, he looked up at her, appearing a little nervous as he attempted to walk on the thin strips of metal.

Winry took a few steps back to allow Ed step onto the ice. "I can't believe you're using my automail as _ice skates_." She fumed.

"It's my automail. I paid for it." Ed kept his attention fixed on the ground as he took his first step onto the frozen pond.

He took a second step and, once confident he had his balance, looked up at Winry, a cheeky grin on his face. "You made it look hard."

Winry glared at him. "Off you go then. Impress me." She gestured to the rest of the pond.

Ed eyed it wearily but rose to the challenge. His eyes once more focused on his feet he began to move off. Slightly more balanced than Winry, he grew in confidence and turned to look at her. "See? Nothing to it."

Winry struggled to keep up, her own attention fixed on her feet. "Whatever." She mumbled.

"Huh, it's a pity the other guys didn't hang around, I could show-" Ed swallowed his words as he abruptly tripped on an uneven piece of ice.

Arms flaying, he grabbed Winry by the biceps in order to stop himself from falling. Instinctively, Winry mirrored the gesture, her feet slipping and sliding over the uneven surface as Ed unbalanced her.

After a few seconds, they both regained their equilibrium. Winry looked up to find Ed's face merely inches from her own. She flushed crimson at their close proximity. Ed blinked in response before abruptly pushing himself away from Winry. His actions were too hasty, however, and before he could once more regain his balance, he fell backwards, landing harshly on his rear.

"Ow." He winced, rubbing the injured part of his anatomy with a gloved hand.

Winry looked at him for a second before erupting into laughter.

Ed frowned at her. "It's not funny."

Winry laughed louder, nearly losingher own balance in the process.

"Stop laughing!" Ed attempted to get to his feet but only succeeded in scrambling about on his hands and knees.

Winry only laughed harder.

"You're such an idiot." Ed glared at her, blushing in embarrassment.

"I'm… I'm sorry, Ed." Winry snickered. "It's just… you…" She began laughing once more.

Ed rolled his eyes at her and attempted to get to his feet once more.

Winry watched him for a second before slowly making her way over to him. "Don't pull me down with you." She warned, grinning broadly, as she offered him her hand.

Ed sighed dramatically as he grabbed her wrist, using it as leverage to regain his footing.

Once standing, he glared at her before making his way to shore.

"Are you giving up?" Winry followed slowly after him.

"Ice staking is stupid." Ed grumbled.

"You're just saying that because you're bad at it." Winry sniped.

"No, I'm saying it because it's true." Ed reached the bank and kicked off his skates.

"Then you won't mind me telling Al about how you fell on your ass about a million times." Winry grinned.

Ed glared back at her. "I fell once, Winry."

"No," She explained slowly. "You have one big fall and millions of little ones."

"No, I didn't!" Ed shouted.

"I saw you, Ed." Winry tried unsuccessfully to hide her grin. "You looked like a baby foal trying to stand for the first time."

"I'm going back to the house." Ed fumed at her. "And I'm putting the lake back the way I found it, so get off."

"No." Winry glared back at him. "I'm enjoying myself."

"I'm going to transmute it back to the way it was and you're going to fall through." Ed held his hands inches apart, preparing to perform the transmutation.

"You wouldn't dare." Winry narrowed her eyes at him. "Granny would kill you if you let me fall in… Then I'd kill you."

"That would be preferable to having to listen to you." Ed brought his hands together and held them just above the surface of the ice. "You've got five seconds."

"You're bluffing." Winry crossed her arms over her chest.

Ed arched an eyebrow in response and began a countdown. "Five… four… three… two…"

Winry rushed forward as quickly as possible, throwing herself into the snow just in time.

"One." Ed pressed his hands against the ice, completing the transmutation. "Well, now that that's done, I'm off." He got to his feet and smirked down at Winry.

Winry scowled up at him. She was covered in snow and more than a little irked. "You're such a jerk sometimes."

Ed frowned a little, looking somewhat insulted. "I guess I'm too much of a jerk to help you up then." He took a step away from her.

"Like I want _your_ help." Winry glared at him. She pushed herself onto her backside and pulled off her skates. Without so much as a glance in Ed's direction she got to her feet and began dusting the snow off her coat. Once satisfied it was as snow-free as possible, she moved to set off in the direction of her house. The snow had melted somewhat where she had landed on it, however, and as she took a step, her shoe failed to adequately grip the bank. With a sharp inhalation of breath, she reached for Ed as she slipped backwards onto the ice.

Ed jumped forward to grab her, arms outstretched, but she was too far away. She fell backwards onto the ice. It held her weight for a fraction of a second before cracking to pieces beneath her. Winry gasped in shock as the frigid waters enveloped her.

Ed flung himself onto his belly on the bank and held his arms out for her. Winry appeared dazed by the cold and stared at him blankly before her head disappeared under the water.

"Winry!" Ed called out, pushing himself out further on the bank.

She surfaced almost immediately and Ed made to grab for her wrists, however she was flailing about and he could not get a good grip on her before she disappeared beneath the water again.

She surfaced once more, coughing and spluttering but seemingly more coherent. She reached for him, her eyes wide with panic. This time, Ed managed to maintain his grip on her wrists. With a mighty heave, he pulled her from the water and onto the bank.

Winry lay exhausted, face down in the snow. She coughed and shivered, seemingly oblivious to his presence.

"Winry, are you ok?" He shook her harshly to get her attention. She blinked at him in confusion, her lips blue with the cold. Ed felt bile rise in his throat. "Come on. We need to get you some place warm." He pulled his coat off and draped it around her shoulders. "Do you think you can walk?"

Winry let out a shaky breath. "I'll… t-try." She tried to push herself to her feet but failed miserably.

Ed didn't wait for her to try again. He looped her arms around his neck and placed his right arm around her rib cage, cradling her legs with his left. Grunting from the effort, he got to his feet and began to trudge through the snow.

Winry shivered against him and he could feel her wet clothes soaking through his own coat.

Trudging through the deep snow was torture but eventually they reached the house. Shifting her weight from his left hand, Ed opened the door and hurried inside.

Pinako looked up from the couch in curiosity. "What happened?" She recovered from her shock and got to her feet.

Ed deposited Winry by the fire, gasping for breath. "I-"

"I f-fell t-through the ice, Granny." Winry shivered.

"Idiot girl." Pinako chastised. "Well, come on. Best get you out of those wet clothes." She put an arm around Winry and ushered her in the direction of the hall. "You too, Ed." She called back at him.

--------- ---------- ----------

Winry slowly descended the stairs, finally warm and comfortable. She had showered and changed, dressed now in a pair of flannel pyjamas and warm slippers. She entered the living room and immediately claimed the seat nearest the fire, wrapping a blanket around herself.

She heard shuffling in the kitchen and was surprised to find Ed at the cooker. He had changed his clothing too. He was dressed in black pants and a black, long sleeve t-shirt; there was little variation in Ed's wardrobe. The right arm of his shirt hung loose; his automail arm had been removed.

He glanced around as Winry entered. She glared at him and he had the grace to blush and look away.

"Hey." He mumbled, sounding somewhat meek.

Winry chose not to respond, turning her attention to the fire instead.

After a minute or so, she heard Ed tinkering around with the cups. She turned to find him making his way over to her, two large, steaming mugs clutched awkwardly in his left hand. He stood before her and offered a mug to Winry.

She glanced at it sceptically, knowing full well it was a peace offering. She wasn't yet sure she was willing to accept. "What is it?"

Ed swallowed, chewing his bottom lip. "Coco."

Winry smiled slightly despite herself. "You made me coco?" She asked, disbelieving.

Ed blushed and looked away. "I was making some for myself anyway…" He lifted the mugs higher, indicating Winry take one. "Well, do you want it? These stupid cups are heavy."

Winry shrugged and took a mug from him, careful not to dislodge the remaining mug. She sniffed it before taking a cautious sip. It was rich and creamy and she immediately took a larger gulp. She nodded appreciatively at him. "This is good!"

Ed shrugged, taking a mouthful himself. "Mom taught us how to make it."

Winry nodded, not quite knowing what to say. Instead, she took another drink of coco and smiled at Ed.

He sighed heavily, and to her great surprise, took a seat next to her. Ed rarely sought out physical interactions. In recent years, the only time he ever allowed her close to him was when she was working on his automail.

She blinked at him in surprise, noting how uncomfortable he seemed. He was chewing on his bottom lip and tapping his feet on the ground. After a few tense seconds, he broke the silence.

"I'm sorry I let you fall in the pond." He looked down at his lap, his hair obscuring his face.

Winry sighed, her anger abating somewhat. "You didn't let me fall-"

"Yes, I did." Ed looked at her briefly before looking away. "I transmuted the ice and you fell in. It was my fault." He sighed. "I'm sorry."

Winry remained silent for a beat, sipping at her coco. "It's not like you meant for me to fall in." Ed looked at her, his eyes full of guilt. She smiled at him upon seeing how deeply ashamed he felt. "It's ok. I'm over it." She grinned. "Though, don't do it again, ok?"

Ed did not look any less upset, sighing as he finished his coco.

Winry struggled to withhold a grin. "I'm sorry I laughed at you when you fell on your ass."

Ed glared at her, but she could see he was struggling not to smile. "That. Wasn't. Funny."

"Oh no, not at all." Winry giggled.

Ed rolled his eyes at her and leaned clumsily to his right in order to deposit his empty mug on the side table. Winry was surprised when he leaned back beside her, though she did notice he inched a little away.

"What happened to your arm?" She asked, taking a sip of coco.

Ed glanced down at his empty port. "Granny practically _tore_ it off when she saw what happened to the forearm plate." He glanced back at her and began immediately laughing.

"What?" Winry brought her mug from her face and regarded him quizzically.

Ed shook his head, grinning at her.

"Ed, what is it?"

He grinned, inclining his head in her direction. "You've got a little coco here-" He indicated to the sides of his mouth.

Winry blushed, putting her mug down and wiping the back of her hand across her cheek. "Is it gone?" She looked back at him.

Ed grinned, shaking his head.

"Damn it." Winry scrubbed her hand across her face once more. "Now?"

Ed rolled his eyes at her, licking his thumb. "You're useless." He chastised, rubbing his damp thumb over her cheek.

Winry blushed crimson at the feel of his hand on her face. Ed seemed to notice what he was doing a second later and blushed himself. He blinked at her, not moving closer, nor sitting back.

Winry's heart hammered in her chest. She could feel the blood rushing through her veins and her stomach danced and spun. Ed's breath ghosted across her cheek, his hair tickling her nose slightly.

Suddenly, Edinhaled sharply through his nose and darted forward, pressing his lips against her cheek. Almost as suddenly as he had done so, he sat back against the couch, looking straight ahead.

Winry sat back slowly, not sure what to do. Ed sat stiffly beside her, refusing to so much as glance her way. She wanted to say something, _anything_, to break the tense silence but she had no idea what to say. She fidgeted with the blanket, pulling at a loose thread by her left hand.

After a few excruciating minutes, she felt something move against her right hand. Glancing down, she saw Ed inching his hand closer to hers. Painfully slowly, he interlaced his fingers in hers, as if terrified she would snatch her hand away.

His palm was warm and clammy, and she could feel him trembling slightly. She lightly squeezed his hand, thrilling when he responded in kind.

She looked up at him but Ed was still staring straight ahead, as if completely clueless as to what his hand was doing. After a second, he glanced at her, smiling shyly, his cheeks beetroot red. Slowly, he turned his head to look at her, still worrying his bottom lip.

Winry smiled at him, noticing his tense shoulders and obviously controlled breathing. Blushing further, she slowly closed the slight distance between them and pressed her lips against his.

She could feel his sharp intake of breath and became elated as he leaned in closer to her. He squeezed her hand tightly, rubbing his thumb across her knuckles. After a beat, Ed sat back slightly, a small smile on his lips as he looked into the fire.

Winry grinned at him, giddy and light headed. With a contented sigh, she pulled their hands against her stomach, bringing her other hand to stroke across the back of his, as she rested her head on his shoulder. Ed stiffened for a second, before making a small contented noise in the back of his throat and resting his head against her own.

Together they watched the fire burn long into the evening.

* * *

_ See, I can be nice to characters... occasionally. Although, **please-knock **did make the valid point that my 'being nice' did involve dunking Winry in a frozen lake.   
_

_  
Reviews are always welcome, as is constructive criticism._


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